AN 3.92

Accāyikasutta

“Tīṇimāni, bhikkhave, kassakassa gahapatissa accāyikāni karaṇīyāni. Katamāni tīṇi? Idha, bhikkhave, kassako gahapati sīghaṁ sīghaṁ khettaṁ sukaṭṭhaṁ karoti sumatikataṁ. Sīghaṁ sīghaṁ khettaṁ sukaṭṭhaṁ karitvā sumatikataṁ sīghaṁ sīghaṁ bījāni patiṭṭhāpeti. Sīghaṁ sīghaṁ bījāni patiṭṭhāpetvā sīghaṁ sīghaṁ udakaṁ abhinetipi apanetipi. Imāni kho, bhikkhave, tīṇi kassakassa gahapatissa accāyikāni karaṇīyāni. Tassa kho taṁ, bhikkhave, kassakassa gahapatissa natthi sā iddhi vā ānubhāvo vā: ‘ajjeva me dhaññāni jāyantu, sveva gabbhīni hontu, uttarasveva paccantū’ti. Atha kho, bhikkhave, hoti so samayo yaṁ tassa kassakassa gahapatissa tāni dhaññāni utupariṇāmīni jāyantipi gabbhīnipi honti paccantipi.

Urgent

“Mendicants, a farmer has three urgent duties. What three? A farmer swiftly makes sure the field is well ploughed and tilled. Next they swiftly plant seeds in season. When the time is right, they swiftly irrigate or drain the field. These are the three urgent duties of a farmer. That farmer has no special power or ability to say: ‘Let the crops germinate today! Let them flower tomorrow! Let them ripen the day after!’ But there comes a time when that farmer’s crops germinate, flower, and ripen as the seasons change.

Evamevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, tīṇimāni bhikkhussa accāyikāni karaṇīyāni. Katamāni tīṇi? Adhisīlasikkhāsamādānaṁ, adhicittasikkhāsamādānaṁ, adhipaññāsikkhāsamādānaṁ— imāni kho, bhikkhave, tīṇi bhikkhussa accāyikāni karaṇīyāni. Tassa kho taṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno natthi sā iddhi vā ānubhāvo vā: ‘ajjeva me anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimuccatu sve vā uttarasve vā’ti. Atha kho, bhikkhave, hoti so samayo yaṁ tassa bhikkhuno adhisīlampi sikkhato adhicittampi sikkhato adhipaññampi sikkhato anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimuccati.

In the same way, a mendicant has three urgent duties. What three? Undertaking the training in the higher ethics, the higher mind, and the higher wisdom. These are the three urgent duties of a mendicant. That mendicant has no special power or ability to say: ‘Let my mind be freed from defilements by not grasping today! Or tomorrow! Or the day after!’ But there comes a time—as that mendicant trains in the higher ethics, the higher mind, and the higher wisdom—that their mind is freed from defilements by not grasping.

Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, evaṁ sikkhitabbaṁ: ‘tibbo no chando bhavissati adhisīlasikkhāsamādāne, tibbo chando bhavissati adhicittasikkhāsamādāne, tibbo chando bhavissati adhipaññāsikkhāsamādāne’ti. Evañhi vo, bhikkhave, sikkhitabban”ti.

So you should train like this: ‘We will have keen enthusiasm for undertaking the training in the higher ethics, the higher mind, and the higher wisdom.’ That’s how you should train.”